#19 Watched the Sunrise

People who wake up late miss one of the greatest feats of nature. It happens each and every day and is one of the most magical things on earth. The sunrise. There is something beautiful about the day slowly getting brighter - from the midnight blue to a lighter blue - and going dark once again. It's a comfort to know that whatever happens, the sun will always rise. There is always tomorrow. Who would've known the sunrise could have such great life lessons behind it? Getting up in the morning to watch the sunrise sounds great in theory, but it's a lot more difficult in practice. Personally, I've never done it. As a teenager, it's a struggle to get up at 7:00 AM and make it to school by 8:00 AM, let alone get up earlier than that to watch the sunrise. Although, with the time change, the sun rises between seven and eight here in my time zone, so that could make it a little easier. During the school week, it's virtually impossible to sit down and watch it. At 7:30 AM, I'm rushing out of my house to make it to school on time, not making a cup of tea to pair with my morning paper out on the patio. My suggestion would be to try it on the weekend. I know, I know, it's the weekend. Why would you want to voluntarily get up at 7:30 AM on the weekend when you could be in bed sleeping like a baby? To experience the magic of the sunrise. To see the beautiful colors. To ponder the thought of a new day, a clean slate. Getting up early does have its benefits. While I would call myself an early riser, I've never sat down and watched the sunrise, and I'm not sure why. Of course, sometimes I miss it, but other times I simply don't go outside and watch it. I should. There's a great significance to the whole thing. They don't call it the dawn of a new day for nothing. Watching a sunset is like saying hello to a new day. And it's the perfect time to be thankful for your many blessings. The Dalai Lama once said, "Everyday, think as you wake up, 'Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.'" Nothing like the Dalai Lama to make waking up sound like the most spiritual experience in the world. What better way to greet the day than to watch the sunrise and experience its beauty? So when your parents ask you what you're doing awake at 7:30 AM, just tell them the Dalai Lama said it would be good for your soul.

P.S. Just out of curiosity, how many of you actually do the things I'm writing about? If you have done some of it, tell me about it! If not, I'll keep writing anyway!